Only You
by dedic8ted
Summary: Two years after high school graduation, Kelsi’s on scholarship at Juilliard and Ryan’s an Academy-Award-winning movie star. What happens when they meet again? Meddling sisters, jealous roommates, and the ever-present paparazzi make things... interesting.
1. Chapter 1

Only You

Summary: Two years after high school graduation, Kelsi's on scholarship at Juilliard and Ryan's an Academy-Award-winning movie star. What happens when they meet again? Plus, there are always meddling sisters, jealous roommates, and the ever-present paparazzi to make things… shall we say… _interesting_. Ryan x Kelsi.

AN: I just drank Coke and I can't fall asleep. TRUE. The sky is lime green. FALSE. The lines at the grocery store were extremely long today. TRUE. I own _High School Musical_. FALSE. Also, I haven't seen HSM3 yet so it's not in here.

...

_When I close my eyes, there_

_I see you_

_Oh just hold me tight, cause_

_I need you_

_Mistake on my part, when_

_I left you_

_To pursue my dream, but_

_I realized_

_My dream was you_

Nineteen-year-old Kelsi Nielsen sat on the couch of the common room of her hall in Juilliard, channel surfing, hoping to find inspiration for her next composition. She stopped when she came upon someone strumming an acoustic guitar to a complex melody, accompanying the music with a rich tenor voice that sounded vaguely familiar. Had she heard the singer before? The camera had been focusing on his hands playing the guitar, so his face wasn't shown, but if he was good enough to be on television, then he was probably somewhat famous.

_So please, please would you_

_Forgive me_

_But I won't blame you if you_

_Forget me_

_Sometimes I wonder do you_

_Miss me_

_Guess I only want you to_

_Love me_

_Love me, like I love you_

"Hi, Kels," her roommate, Lori Caroc, asked, sitting down next to her. "What are you watching?" Lori was the exact opposite of Kelsi: tall and noticeable, with flaming red-gold hair and emerald green eyes, in contrast to Kelsi's petite five-foot-two frame, brown hair, and gray eyes. Lori was nice, popular, and outgoing, and she had a new boyfriend every month or so. Kelsi wondered what it would be like to be her.

_I know that_

_You're so far_

_But if I dream, oh_

_There you are_

_There you are_

"Oh, um." Kelsi gestured to the TV screen. "I don't know. The song is pretty good."

"Are you kidding? It's _Celebrity Insider_! I totally forgot they were doing a Ryan Evans interview today," Lori said excitedly, grabbing the remote from Kelsi's hands and turning the volume up. Kelsi was not the type of person who regularly watched _Celebrity Insider_.

"Ryan _Evans_?" The song had finished and the camera zoomed out. A pretty black-haired woman was sitting in a leather chair across from a younger-looking blond guy wearing a gray fedora, who had been singing.

"You know, the actor? He did his first movie like two years ago and it was a huge hit?" Lori rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you've never heard of Ryan Evans."

"I've heard of him," Kelsi said quietly. "I was just surprised, is all. I didn't know he could play guitar." _Or that he could sing like that_, she thought to herself. The song was beautiful—slow, soulful, and sincere, nothing like his and Sharpay's peppy version of "What I've Been Looking For" that they had done for the musical auditions in their junior year of high school.

"Yeah, he just released his first single, 'There You Are,' last week," Lori said. "It was on the iTunes top five. Now I'm in love with him even more than before." She sighed dreamily.

"Wait, you're in love with him?" Kelsi asked. Now she was even more confused.

"Yeah, he's got, like, half the girls in America drooling after him." Lori said nonchalantly, flicking an invisible speck of lint off her shirt. "I mean, who isn't, right?"

"You have no idea," Kelsi said under her breath, tuning back into the show.

…

"So," Patricia Simmons said, straightening her note cards. Ryan looked at her expectantly. Sure, they were airing live, and he was a little nervous, but he was pretty sure he could handle whatever she threw at him. He set down his guitar, affectionately nicknamed Maria, next to him and tried to look attentive. "Love the new song," she gushed.

"Thanks," he said, and smiled in appreciation. Truthfully, he wasn't sure how the public would react to his singing. He knew he could sing well; he and Sharpay hadn't gotten the leads for seventeen musicals for nothing, but still. "I actually wrote it while filming _The Shoe_."

"I see." Patricia nodded. "It's coming out in a few weeks, isn't it? I know we all can't wait for October 19th."

"Oh," he said. He knew that Sharpay was somewhere in the studio audience cheering him on, and that gave him a boost of confidence. He could do this. "Thank you."

"Well, back to the song. Did you have someone special in mind when you wrote it? Like the lyrics _mistake on my part, when / I left you / To pursue my dream_. Were you leaving anyone behind? A girlfriend, perhaps?" Patricia winked into the camera to let the viewers know that this was exclusive _Celebrity Insider_ information.

"Oh, um." Ryan's throat suddenly felt as dry as the Sahara. "Well, sort of," he managed to get out. He thought the interview was going to be about the song and his new movie, not his nonexistent (but people didn't know that) love life.

"Uh huh," she said suspiciously like the seasoned talk-show host she was. She tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear, and leaned closer to him. "Who?"

"Um, just a girl. She's a friend, I suppose." He shifted uncomfortably in the white leather chair he was sitting in. He knew his ears were probably turning pink, like he always did when he got embarrassed. But to be humiliated in the halls of East High School was very different than to be humiliated on live national television.

"Interesting. When did you first start to like this… _friend_?" Patricia said, her glossy blood-red nails tapping impatiently on the arm of her chair.

"Uh, when we were, you know, in kindergarten," he said. He wished he could pull the fedora he was wearing in front of his blushing face and disappear.

"That's so sweet." Patricia smiled, and there was a chorus of "aww"s from the studio audience, who apparently thought it was cute that a big-name movie star such as himself still liked the girl he'd been secretly crushing on since kindergarten.

…

"Oh my gawd," Sharpay, Ryan's twin sister, said, stabbing the air with a pair of ivory chopsticks to prove her point. They were sitting at a table at Miyaka, the best Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles, a frequent lunch spot for them. "What was that all about? I thought we specifically said that you _weren't_ going to talk about your personal life. She didn't follow the rules we set at _all_. What a bi—"

She stopped when Ryan shot her a meaningful look. He couldn't say anything because he had just popped a cucumber roll in his mouth, but Sharpay knew what he would have said.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I know you don't like it when I call people that. But she deservesit. _No _one, well, except me, _ever_ insults, harms, angers, or humiliates my baby brother like that." Sure, she was only older by seven minutes, but older was older and she acted it.

"Shar," he said, swallowing and placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "It's no big deal. I didn't even tell her the name. Don't get so worked up about it, okay?"

"Okay." Sharpay took a deep, cleansing breath. Then suddenly her face slowly stretched into a sly grin. "It's Kelsi Nielsen, right?"

"What?" Ryan asked. His jaw dropped and his face reddened for the second time that day. "What are you talking about?" But he knew exactly what she was talking about and genuinely hoped that Kelsi hadn't been watching _Celebrity Insider_ today. Not that in the fifteen years he'd known her, she'd ever watched anything like that.

"Don't play dumb, Ry." She rolled her eyes. "I know you've liked Kelsi since you guys were both at the coloring table in kindergarten, remember? Mrs. Shriver's class? And you guys shared that sixty-four pack of crayons and reached for the orange one at the same time? Face it, you've been majorly crushing on her since then."

"How did you know?" he whispered, in case some reporter was lurking around. He didn't want the headlines tomorrow to be _Ryan Evans's Love Revealed!_ or something equally mortifying. "Oh no, did everyone at school know?" He covered his face with his hands.

"I don't know. I'm pretty sure _she_ has no idea, though," Sharpay said. She dipped a piece of tuna sashimi in soy sauce and took a bite. "Even after that time on the last day of junior year, when you tried to do that locker-lean thing. And after that, you were going to ask her to prom, but then got scared because you thought she might still have liked Jason Cross even though they broke up ages ago, and you ended up asking if she remembered the math homework." She finished her raw fish and sipped her hot green tea.

"I was that obvious?" he asked, groaning.

"We have twin telepathy, right? And it's okay," she reassured him, in the way only a fraternal-twin-turned-personal-assistant can. And for the rest of the day, he believed her.

...

AN: Sharpay might seem a little OOC. Buta person can change in two years... right? Plus, I think that Ryan's stardom made herless "It's all about me." So deal.


	2. Chapter 2

"Um, just a girl. She's a friend, I suppose," Ryan said on the TV screen. Kelsi watched as the anchorwoman leaned forward eagerly to hear what he had to say.

She switched off the television. She didn't want to hear Ryan Evans talk about some girl he liked. Especially when it couldn't be her. She sighed, knowing she would probably never be more than "that shy girl who played piano" to him.

"Hey, I was watching that," Lori complained, grabbing the remote and turning the TV back on.

"Oh, sorry," she said. "I'm just going to go back to our room, okay?" Kelsi picked up her pencil, lined paper, and key and got off the couch.

"Sure, whatevs," Lori said absently. Her attention was glued to the television. "See ya."

Back in her room, Kelsi flipped open her black Macbook and opened up an Internet browser. She typed "Ryan Evans" into the search bar, realizing that she knew little to nothing about his life after high school graduation. She got more than a million results. The first few were fan websites, but the fourth was a Wikipedia entry. She clicked on that.

Ryan Evans, American actor and singer. Born November 23, 1988, age 19.

Ryan Evans was born in **Newport, Rhode Island**, but moved to **Albuquerque, New Mexico**, with his parents and twin sister, **Sharpay Evans**, when he was four years old. He continued to visit Rhode Island every summer following that, until age 12, when his parents, **Vance and Derby Evans**, bought and renovated **Lava Springs Country Club**. The club has been a favorite destination for him ever since. He attended and graduated from **East High School**, but that summer visited **Los Angeles, California**, with his family. There, he was discovered by an agent and auditioned for _**Finding Eternity**_. He got the role of Lucas and won an **Oscar Award** for Best Leading Role for his performance. The movie was his big break, and he continued to act in movies and guest-star in several television shows. He has so far made a total of five movies in the past two years and appeared on twelve TV shows. His sixth movie, _**The Shoe**_, a modern twist on the classic **Cinderella** tale, wrapped filming in August and is set to premiere in February next year. He has recently also released a single, titled "**There You Are**," which had been, and still is, on the **iTunes Top Five**. (AN: the boldface words are links)

Kelsi scrolled down the page, seeing articles about his career and personal life in detail. She sucked in her breath. He'd won an _Oscar_ and hadn't told anyone, as far as she knew. That meant either he considered himself too good for them or he wanted to be modest and not brag about his accomplishments. It was probably the latter, Kelsi knew, but she couldn't help but feel a little left out. She clicked on the link to the _Finding Eternity_ entry and read, because she hadn't actually seen the movie, even though it had come out two years ago.

She found out that it was about a teenage boy, Lucas (Ryan), who lived in the Midwest and befriended a girl named Eternity (Scarlett Johansson), who had some fatal form of cancer. They eventually go on a road trip during the last few months of her life and discover the meaning of true friendship. She was surprised to learn that Lucas and Eternity's relationship was purely platonic, because there were so many girl-and-guy-are-best-friends-who-end-up-falling-in-love movies that it was starting to turn cliché. There wasn't even a kiss between them. And even though Eternity died at then end, which Kelsi thought was pretty ironic because of her name, the movie had an approval rating of 93 percent when it first came out. She browsed on YouTube for the trailer and a few clips, and she realized, while watching the part where Eternity was dying, that Ryan was a much better actor than she had ever given him credit for. It seemed like a deep movie, and his tears looked absolutely real. He deserved his fame, she thought. But she might have been biased.

…

"Well," Miles Powell said. He tapped his fingers thoughtfully on his chin. "Ryan, the sales for your single have been outstanding. It would be good to record another one."

"That's possible," Sharpay said, a calendar-planner spread out on the table in front of them. "Tomorrow he has an interview with CosmoGirl, and then later a fitting for _The Shoe_'s premiere. But I suppose we can find some time to brainstorm a new song." She looked over at her brother. "Right, Ry?"

"I guess," Ryan said, reviewing the notes Sharpay had for next week. He was booked solid tomorrow, but after that, she'd given him a week off. He watched as she penciled in "write song" in the little box.

"Mmmhmm," Miles murmured. "Let's see. The publicity has been great, although I think that if we schedule the release of your next single right before your premiere, that will bring even more people to the box office. You'd be on a roll here."

"Cool," Ryan said. Miles had been his agent ever since he'd met the twins two years ago on their family vacation to L.A. He was awesome, as agents go, and Ryan trusted him. "I know a really good songwriter," he added, almost offhandedly.

"But didn't you write 'There You Are'?" Miles asked, confused. "That was great. We don't need to hire a songwriter. If you write the song, we can save money and people will know that it came 'from the heart.'" He put air quotes around the last three words.

"No, no," Sharpay said. "This composer's our… friend." She shared a glance with Ryan. "I don't think she'd ask for money. She went to high school with us. She's actually a student at Juilliard now, I think."

"Maybe," Miles said, looking over the calendar. "If you're sure, then you could take your week off to visit her. But only a week. And I can't pay for your flights."

"Kelsi's much better than Ryan," Sharpay assured him. Ryan shot her an offended look, and she returned it with an _I'm-trying-to-help-you-here_ look. He softened visibly.

"Okay," Miles finally said. "See you in a week, Ryan."

And that was why he, Ryan Evans, was sitting in a first-class seat on American Airlines halfway across the country on his way to New York. It wasn't the first time he'd felt a wrenching sensation in his middle on the plane ride. He wished it could be because of the turbulence, but he knew it was because he was wondering if he was making the biggest mistake of his life. What if Kelsi hated him? Of course, it was _Kelsi_, and she'd never say anything like that to his face, so what was he so worried about?

He adjusted the cushy pillow around his neck, leaned back in his reclining leather seat, and tried to think positive thoughts. It wasn't easy, considering that he'd already accumulated a horde of screaming fangirls on his flight the moment he'd stepped onto the plane, but he tried. Half an hour later, he found himself being tapped awake.

"Excuse me, sir," the flight attendant said with a sunny smile. "Coffee?"

"Hmm?" He hadn't even realized he'd fallen asleep. "Oh! Um, sure. Thank you." He watched as she poured his coffee into a Styrofoam cup (black, half a sugar), handed it to him, and moved down the aisle. Nothing like caffeine to boost his already frenzied nerves. He checked his watch. There were two more hours left on the flight. He knew he should be excited; in two hours he'd see Kelsi again. But Ryan was anything but.

...

AN: November 23 is Lucas Grabeel's actual birthday. October 19 (when Ryan's movie _The Shoe_ premieres) is Zac Efron's birthday. Just to let you know.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Just because I forgot last time... business lawyer people in suits, please don't sue me! I don't own HSM, the characters, or Apple/Macbook. I do own _one_ Macbook and the plot for _Finding Eternity_... if that counts for anything.

AN: Okay. I messed up. So on the fake Wikipedia entry, I put the _The Shoe_ premiere in February as opposed to October 19. It is October 19, NOT February... sorry. And the time the story takes place is around September-ish. And happy early Halloween everyone!

...

"Hey, Kels," Lori said, back in their dorm room. Kelsi hurriedly closed the lid of her laptop. Lori didn't need to know why she was Googling Ryan Evans. "Are you free tonight?"

"Um, yeah," Kelsi said. "Why?"

"You see, Henry invited me to go to L'Eau, this hot new nightclub in the city, but I think you should come too. You know, to protect me or something." She delivered the last sentence with a laugh, so Kelsi knew she was kidding. "I mean, come on, right? I've only known Henry for like, a week."

"Are you sure you want me to come?" Kelsi asked. _Only a week?_, she thought to herself. _Yeah, right. As if I didn't see you two making out on the quad yesterday_. But she said nothing.

"Totally. It'd be fun. Come on, please?" Lori begged, pouting. Kelsi knew that this was probably one of Lori's plans to make her cool enough to be seen out in public with. But she wasn't busy tonight, and she didn't have anything better to do. "You could work on your composition there."

"I guess I can come," Kelsi agreed reluctantly.

"Cool!" Lori squealed, rummaging through her closet. "Oh my god, wouldn't you look awesome in this? You have to look hot tonight. Not all covered up like you usually are." She held up a bright fuchsia minidress. Really, really mini. Kelsi doubted it would cover her butt if she leaned forward too much.

"No, it's okay." She shook her head. "I can find something from my own closet."

"I _have_ to make you over, though," Lori said. "How are you going to get guys if you're dressed all prudishly?"

"But…" It was no use. To Lori and the rest of the girls in the world, cute clothes were confidence. The more skin showing, the better. Kelsi was probably the only girl who broke the rule.

"He's coming in only three hours to pick us up," Lori said, taking out clothes and holding them up to her face, then tossing them onto the growing pile of rejects on her bed. "And we have to pick outfits and do our hair and makeup."

Three hours later, Kelsi was sitting in the backseat of a tan Honda sedan, wearing a midnight-blue babydoll dress with eyelet lace trim that Lori swore made her eyes look bluer. It reached more than a foot above her knees, so Kelsi had insisted on wearing pants or at least leggings on underneath. So she also had on a pair of dark skinny jeans, plus the killer (literally) black peep-toe stiletto heels that Lori had forced upon her. She'd topped the entire ensemble off with one of her signature hats. Her brown hair was blown dry and straightened, her eyes surrounded by smoky shadow, and her lips coated with shiny gloss. She looked undeniably hot. Too bad she felt exactly the opposite.

"Ready, ladies?" Henry offered Lori his hand and ushered the two girls into the club. Kelsi didn't know how he'd managed to swipe three VIP passes from some random relation of his father's, but the bouncer at L'Eau let them skip the huge waiting line and go directly inside.

As soon as she stepped in the club, Kelsi felt a little sick. She'd never been a big fan of dancing and getting wasted all night, and the most she'd ever drank was a sip of fizzy champagne at her second cousin's wedding. As soon as Lori and Henry disappeared somewhere into the crowd, she wanted to hide from pulsing frantic beat of the music and flashing lights. She clutched the sheet music she'd brought with her apprehensively, wishing the night would end already.

…

He was a coward, of course he was. He had been in New York for _four entire hours_ and he had made no effort to find her. He could have asked the administration staff at Juilliard. He could have asked Troy or Gabriella; both were going to college in California and they still talked sometimes. So why, Ryan asked himself, was his sitting in a booth at some nightclub and not over at her place flirting with her? Because he was a coward, that was why.

And because he would at least let Sharpay be happy, if he couldn't be, and she was the one who told him going to L'Eau was a _must_.

Flashback:

_Ryan Evans was excited. Excited and scared, and most of all, he was nervous. He was barely eighteen, fresh out of high school, and now, four months later, he was sitting in a limo about to walk onto the red carpet. He was attending his very first premiere for the very first movie he had ever filmed. Ryan took a deep breath._

"_Come on, Ry," Sharpay urged. She was sitting next to him, watching as he gripped the limo's cushy leather seat. Sure, they had been in many limos before. But she had never seen her brother look so nervous. Not even before their very first performance together back in kindergarten. Because this was big, bigger than anything either of them had achieved yet. "It's now or never. You know I'll be there for you. And seriously, we both know that _Finding Eternity_ is going to be bigger than _Harry Potter_. So stop looking like you're going to throw up, okay? Go out there and make me proud!" She gave her younger-by-seven-minutes brother an encouraging push._

_The chauffeur opened the door for them. This is my moment, Ryan thought. Better take advantage of it. He plastered a huge grin on his face and stepped outside. Sharpay hooked her arm around his and they walked down the strip of red velvet together. They were bombarded with flashes of light from cameras and people screaming—both fans and paparazzi. "Ryan Evans! Ryan Evans! Look this way!" "This is your first movie. Care to comment?" "OhmyGAWD! It's Ryan Evans! Will you marry me?" "What was the experience of filming like?" "Ryan, I heard you graduated from high school five months ago. What are your plans for the future?" "Who's on your arm? Is she your girlfriend?" Even Sharpay had to laugh at that last one. After Ryan had answered the reporters' questions and calmly explained that Sharpay was, in fact, not his girlfriend but his twin sister, they were escorted into the theater. The lights dimmed, and the opening scene of the movie he'd shot four months ago, _Finding Eternity_, started playing._

_One hour and fifty-eight minutes later, when the closing credits of the movie had finished rolling, Ryan and Sharpay climbed back into their limo for the après-premiere party._

"_Look," Sharpay said, once they were at the hip nightclub the producers had booked for the party. They were sitting in the back booth in a corner of the club, discussing plans. "This is by far the best thing that has happened to us. I mean, we—okay, you—starred in a red-carpet-worthy movie with Scarlett Johansson! How could you not brag? Not even a little! Let's see: practically everyone at East High thought I was the Ice Queen. Practically everyone thought you were borderline gay. This is our—your—chance to rub it back in their faces!"_

"_Shar," Ryan said. "I don't think that's the best idea. I'm not going to exploit my fame just to take revenge or for my own personal purposes, okay?"_

_Sharpay rolled her eyes but nodded. "Do you always have to be the good guy?"_

"_Yeah," he said, smiling at her. "I guess I do."_

Ever since then, Ryan had kept his promise. He never drank, partly because he was underage and partly because he never found the taste of alcohol particularly appealing, he never did drugs, he was never put in rehab. He donated to charity every year and made it a point to call his parents back in Albuquerque at least once a week. But, he thought as he leaned back in his booth at L'Eau not unlike the way he had that fateful day two years ago (although it had been at a different club), if he planned to win Kelsi over with his fame, wasn't that breaking his oath to himself? And besides, would he ever know if Kelsi really liked him for him?

His head hurt, from a combination of jet lag, the pounding beat of the music in the club, and worrying about Kelsi. He sighed and shook his head from the flashback, set his hat on the table in front of him, and ran a hand through his blond hair. Sometimes he wished he could go back to being normal. Maybe then things wouldn't be so complicated.

...

AN: Ooh, cliffie!... sort of. If you remembered, they're both suffering at the same nightclub (L'Eau means "water" in French. I really have no idea how I came up with the name). It's only a matter of time... *evil laugh*. BTW, can anyone imagine Kelsi in a fuschia mini? It's so... un-her. My mind is weird sometimes.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from _High School Musical_. There, I said it. Oh, but I do own Lori, Henry, Miles, and Patricia Simmons. But anyone can use them, if you want. I don't mind.

AN: Yay! Okay, after three chapters, they _finally_ meet again in this one. Enjoy (hopefully)! Oh, and I finally saw HSM3... armed with the excuse that I was taking my 11-year-old little sister to see it, should I meet anyone I know at the theater. I know, I should probably be "breaking free" and not be embarrassed... but whatever. Real life isn't a Disney movie. My thoughts: it was okay, but kind of overly-Troyellafied. I mean, they should have maybe put in a little more of the other couples *cough Ryelsi cough*. But at least they had some. So I'm good.

...

Kelsi made her way to a dark corner of the club, hoping to get away from the sweaty mass of bodies dancing to the music. It was much less crowded in the back, so she looked for an empty table for a seat.

"Um, excuse me," she said timidly, tapping a blond guy sitting in a booth on the shoulder. He had his head in his hands as if nursing a headache. She wondered if he was drunk. "Sorry, I was wondering if you mind if I share a table with you. There're a lot less people here, you know?"

The guy shrugged. "Sure, I have space." She smiled gratefully.

"Thanks," she said. She settled in an arm's-length away from him and took out the song she had been working on. It reminded her of when she and Ryan Evans had written "Everyday," the summer before senior year. The song was her pride and joy, and Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton's voices were perfectly matched, for the music and for each other. She started humming the tune in her head.

"What?" the guy said, jerking his head up. "What were you just singing?"

"Oh, um," she stammered, blushing. She hadn't realized she was humming aloud. "Just a song my friend and I, um, composed a couple years ago." If only he were more than a friend, she thought to herself.

"Everyday," he breathed. "_Everyday / of our lives / wanna find you there / wanna hold on tight_."

"You know it?" she asked, shocked. She lifted her eyes and found she was staring straight into his surprisingly familiar icy blue ones. His hand slowly reached out and she froze, not knowing what to expect. He finally touched her face gently, almost disbelievingly, like she was a mirage and might disappear. She flinched at the jolt of electricity when his hand made contact with her skin. Was she the only one who noticed?

"Kels?" the blond guy asked in amazement. "Kelsi Nielsen?"

"Ryan!" she exclaimed, but he put a finger to her lips and motioned for her to quiet down. "Is that you? I didn't know you were in New York." She paused, studying the face of the guy she'd liked practically forever, but hadn't seen in person for the last two years. "Funny, I wouldn't have exactly pegged you the type to go clubbing," she said, hoping to lighten the mood with a little humor.

"Well, Sharpay emailed me saying that this was one of the must-go places to see and be seen." He smiled wryly.

"Not many people are going to see you if you're sitting in the back," she joked. She wasn't usually what many people would call _funny_, but sometimes she said things that surprised even her. She wondered why Ryan Evans, especially now that he was an A-list movie star, would be talking to _her_. She wasn't Sharpay, with a dramatic attitude and diva-like confidence. She wasn't Taylor McKessie, ready to fire back a witty remark or snappy comeback at any given time. She especially wasn't Gabriella Montez, the Spanish beauty who managed to win the musical callbacks, the Scholastic Decathlon, and East High's golden boy all in one day. She was just Kelsi, with plain gray eyes and brown hair and nothing special to boast about.

"Guess not," Ryan said. "So, what are you doing here?"

"I'm accompanying my roommate and her boyfriend," she said, gesturing to the dance floor. "And I don't really have anything better to do. Except, you know, working on my song."

"Oh, hey, speaking of songs," Ryan said. "I actually, um, came here to ask you if you'd help me write one. My agent thinks that I might be able to break into the music business too." Her smile dimmed a notch, and Ryan immediately knew he'd said the wrong thing. He sounded like someone who was using her to get something he wanted, not a friend. Ugh, he was really bad at this romance stuff. He hoped that by this time Kelsi hadn't figured out that he was capable of writing good songs, but hers a) were undeniably better, and b) gave him an excuse to talk to her.

"I suppose," Kelsi said, forcing a smile back on her face. "To help a friend, right? Oh, before I forget, I want to introduce you to my roommate. She's a huge fan. I'll be right back." She disappeared into the darkness and he sighed.

…

Ryan took out his phone and pressed 1 on his speed dial. "Hey, Shar," he said.

"Hi!" she answered, full of energy. He wondered how anyone could be full of energy at eleven at night, but then remembered the time difference. It was only seven back in L.A. "What's that music in the background? Where are you?"

"I'm at L'Eau, you know, that nightclub you wanted me to go to?" he said. "I kinda need some advice."

"Aww," she cooed into the phone. "Does my Ry-Ry need his big sister's advice?" Ryan rolled his eyes but smiled. Much as he didn't want to admit it, he missed Sharpay.

"Look, _she's_ here," he whispered urgently.

"Who? Nicole? I heard she was in New York these few days. If Paris's with her, can you tell her that everything I said about her at Brad and Angie's baby shower last month was totally untrue? She's probably too dense to stay angry at me anyways," Sharpay said, "but I don't need one more spoiled-rotten heiress on my case." Ryan could picture her waving her hand in the air dismissively, and he bit his tongue in an effort to restrain from reminding his sister that a few years ago, she was a spoiled-rotten heiress too.

"No, no," he hissed, glancing around nervously. She would be back with her friend any minute now. "Not Paris or Nicole. _You know_. Kelsi."

"Oh. _Oh_. Okay, then. I'll be there by morning tomorrow, 'kay? Ugh… doesn't American Airlines have any more first-class seats left? Maybe I'll go United."

"Shar. What are you talking about?" he asked.

"I'm coming! To help you with your, um, romance problem. No one better to help than me, right, Ry?"

"Wait a second—you're _okay_ with it? That I like Kelsi, I mean?" he asked, surprised.

"Better Kelsi than, say, Little Miss Perfect Princess Montez," Sharpay reasoned. Even though she had stopped openly loathing Gabriella Montez, they weren't exactly _friends_ by graduation. "I'll be there tomorrow. Pick me up at ten in the morning, East Coast time, okay?"

He groaned inwardly, but managed a weak "Thanks, see you soon," and hung up, praying for a miracle.

…

AN: Haha, I've always imagined Sharpay name-dropping (no offense intended if you like Nicole Richie and/or Paris Hilton). Even if she doesn't do it on purpose. Anyways, sorry for the short chapter. I've had a bunch of tests and such... screw high school. I promise I'll make the next chapter longer(ish). And with more Ryan/Kelsi interaction.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Does anyone ever read these things anyways? Well, whatever. Don't own. Don't sue.

AN: I'm sitting here in a cami, long-sleeved shirt, sweater, _and_ hoodie, plus jeans and those fuzzy striped socks you're not supposed to wear out of your house, still freezing my butt off typing this for you guys. Be appreciative. Just kidding, just kidding (sort of). So much for stereotypical 85-degree sunny California weather, right? Well, anyways, prepare the earplugs! At least for the first five seconds or so. Because Lori can scream really, really loud.

...

"This is Lori," Kelsi said, back at the table. "She's my roommate at Juilliard."

"Oh. My. Gawd. OHMYGOD. Eeeeee!" Lori let out a very uncharacteristic, fangirl-esque squeal. "Oh my god, Kels, I didn't know you knew _Ryan Evans_."

"Well, I do," she shrugged, clearly embarrassed. She had hoped Lori wouldn't make a big deal out of it, but she was wrong.

"It's sooo funny, 'cause this afternoon Kelsi and I were watching _Celebrity Insider_, and we saw your interview," Lori said. She took a seat in the booth, squishing in between Kelsi and Ryan. "It was pretty awesome. Kelsi had to leave in the middle of it, though. Right when you were going to talk about that girl you like. I mean, you've liked her since you were what, like five? It's been a really long time. Oh god, I'm rambling again, right?"

"So," Ryan said. "You guys saw the interview?"

"Yeah." Kelsi nodded, trying to sound casual. "The girl… do I know her?" She'd hidden her true feelings from him for fifteen years. Why was it so hard now, then?

"Um. I suppose you could say that. She was in our kindergarten class." Ryan shifted in his seat and took a sip of water. At least, Kelsi thought it was water. He didn't seem like he was the type to drink straight vodka or something.

"Who is it?" Lori persisted. She was obviously trying to make a good impression on Ryan. But, Kelsi thought to herself, if he'd liked the girl since kindergarten, what made Lori think he would give her up for _her_? Not that Lori wasn't pretty, or anything. But still.

"I, uh, well…" Ryan faltered. "I—I can't say. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Kelsi said, nodding knowingly. She would die if anyone knew she liked Ryan, so she completely understood. But she couldn't help but wonder who it was, anyways. Was it Gabriella Montez? He had certainly seemed friendly with her at Lava Springs. But she didn't come to Albuquerque until junior year. Taylor McKessie hadn't come until second grade, and she was still dating Chad Danforth, anyways. Plus, she didn't seem like Ryan's type. Martha Cox, maybe? But after Kelsi and Jason Cross (her first boyfriend, but they hadn't even kissed) mutually agreed to be "just friends," Jason asked Martha to prom. Or could it be Charlotte Bauer? She had been one of Sharpay's Drama Club groupies. Hoping to steer the conversation away from Ryan's love life, she quickly said, "You don't have to tell. By the way, your song was pretty good. I don't see why you need help to write another one, though. I'm sure you could manage it on your own."

"But yours are so much better," he protested. "And it would give us a little time to catch up, you know. I've been kind of… out of touch after graduation."

"I guess it could," she mused, unconsciously tracing spirals on her now-forgotten sheet of music. She tried to repress the warm, fuzzy feeling spreading throughout her body. Ugh, she sounded like some mushy heroine in one of Lori's romance novels, when the guy finally notices her. All Ryan wanted to do was to co-write a song, right? "Sure. Um, my room number is 713, okay? It's on the second floor. And my cell number is the same as it was two years ago. You still have it, right?"

"Yeah. Uh, okay, room 713, second floor," Ryan repeated, using Kelsi's pen to hastily scribble it on the palm of his hand. "Got it."

Lori had been watching their entire exchange with narrowed eyes. Ryan looked happiest when he was talking to Kelsi. And Kelsi would have had to be the world's most oblivious person to not notice the giddy smiles directed at her. Sure, Lori had known Ryan for all of five minutes, but she felt this _deep connection _with him. She had "There You Are" at the top of her iPod's most-played list. She'd seen every single one of his movies and every episode of every TV show he'd ever guest-starred in. Every. Single. One. If Lori had anything to say about it, she considered herself a much more devoted fan than just _Kelsi_.

Henry who? Ryan was hot, rich, and famous. Ryan was _hers_.

"So sorry, Ryan," Lori said. "We have to go. We've got a huge test tomorrow to study for."

"We do?" Kelsi asked. She didn't remember any test.

"We do," Lori said through gritted teeth, tugging at her roommate's arm. "Let's go. Bye, Ryan," she added with a simpering smile. "Come on, Henry." Her quasi-boyfriend followed dutifully.

"Well, see you soon, Kels," Ryan said, waving. "It was nice meeting you, Lori."

…

"She was watching _Celebrity Insider_. She was watching _Celebrity Insider_," Ryan said, pacing the hallway in front of his and Sharpay's two-bedroom hotel suite, the day after. "She was watching _Celeb_—"

"Ryan!" Sharpay's voice was tinged with impatience. It was her _I-honestly-don't-care-much _tone that she probably used once a day when her brother drifted off to his own little world. Like now, when she was standing with five pink suitcases monogrammed with "SE" in Swarovski crystals at her feet. Sure, she was only staying in New York for a week, but a girl always had to expect the unexpected, right? Which was why two of her five bags were dedicated solely to shoes. "Would you puh-_lease_ just unlock the door? I can't stand around here forever."

"Sorry," Ryan said, extracting the key card from his leather wallet. He had just picked his sister up from the airport, and they were standing on the seventh floor of the Ritz.

"Finally," Sharpay said, pushing open the door and collapsing on the first armchair she saw. "Gawd, these shoes are killing me. And remind me to get us a private jet sometime soon. Or at least a helicopter like Daddy's. The food on my flight was terrible." Then, seeing that Ryan was still stressing over the apparent fact that Kelsi had been watching the interview, she sighed exasperatedly and asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yes. No. Sort of. Okay," Ryan said. "So, what happened was, when I got off the plane, I checked into the hotel, right? And then I chickened out and didn't call Kelsi, like I told Miles I would. And I went to L'Eau, because I… well, I just did. So I sat down and then some time later, this girl—Kelsi—comes and asks me if I could share a seat. I say yes, and then she starts humming 'Everyday,' you know, the song we wrote together? But she said she wrote it with a 'friend'. Does that mean I'm only a friend?" he asked. Try as he might, he could never fully understand the way girls worked. Not even his twin sister sometimes. Seriously, two suitcases filled only with _shoes_?!

"Well, not always. I mean, it's not like you'd spill your entire personal life to some random person, right?" Sharpay reasoned. She motioned for him to continue. "Go on, go on. And then…" she pressed.

Ryan resumed his pacing, this time in front of the suite's coffee table instead of the hotel hallway. "And then she said, 'Ryan, is that you?' and we talked a little, and then she went to go find her roommate so she could introduce her to me. Turns out her roommate is a huge fan, and I think she likes me."

"She, as in Kelsi?" Sharpay asked, straightening to an upright position in her chair. "Or her roommate?"

"Her roommate… what was her name again? Lauren, Laura, no. It was something like… Lori! That's right. Kelsi's roommate was named Lori. But then Lori got really quiet, but that was okay, because then Kelsi and I got to talk some more. So then eventually I asked if she could help me write the song, and she said yes and gave me the number of her room at college. But Lori dragged Kelsi away before I could ask what time was okay for me to go over. And that's it." He turned to look at his twin, and found Sharpay's forehead scrunched in thought.

"There's this thing that's really bothering me…" she said slowly, as if contemplating something.

"Yeah?"

"What would a girl like _Kelsi_ be doing at a nightclub like _L'Eau_? I mean, out of character much?"

"She was accompanying her roommate on a date or something," Ryan shrugged. "The thing is, she was there and she heard what I said on TV."

"And your point is?" Sharpay said, examining her nails. "Ew, my cuticles are totally gross."

"What if she knows I like her? She can't know I like her," Ryan panicked. "What if she doesn't like me back? Should I call her?"

"Ryan, as I quote you _directly_ from the day before yesterday, 'It's no big deal. I didn't even tell her the name. Don't get so worked up about it, okay?' So what's there to worry about? If you don't want her to know, then she doesn't know," his sister stated calmly. "But for now, go to the phone, call her, and use your manly charms to set up a date so you can help write the song." She pushed him to the phone.

"You think I have manly charms?" Ryan asked, pleased by the compliment.

"You've got half of the female population of America wanting you to father their children, right?" Sharpay smirked. "You can do it."

"Hey, you should give advice more often, you know," he said, picking up the phone, about to dial the number he'd stored on his cell phone at East High's graduation two years ago but had been too nervous to call all these years. "I'd listen. And you're actually starting to start caring about someone else's well-being other than your own. I'm impressed, Shar."

"I know," Sharpay said. "And besides, if you screw this up and we don't have an awesome song by the premiere, Miles's gonna blame me, since I came up with the idea. So you better work some magic on Kelsi or else." Ryan didn't even want to think about what the _or else_ meant. Oh well, he thought. He should have known better; some things about Sharpay never change.

…

AN: Hoped that last paragraph elicited a small laugh from you. I, like Kelsi, am not the best at humor, so please, if you didn't think that was somewhat funny, just bear with me here. Other than that: liked it? Hated it? Review, please!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own _High School Musical_. But I did write the two songs in this story ("There You Are" and another one appearing later). Although I would never flatter myself into thinking that they could ever get on the iTunes Top Five or "knock Taylor Swift off the charts," quoting Sharpay. Just as well, though, since I wrote them when I was bored in like fifteen minutes during Euro History.

AN: Because it's my birthday today (and apparently Monique Coleman's too—I think that's kind of cool) I wrote another longish chapter, in which Kelsi's stranded wearing nothing but a towel, Sharpay parts the Red Sea, and Starbucks sells designer doorknobs... sort of. Now onto the actual story!

...

Kelsi stepped out of the shower, feeling refreshed and relaxed. Her world would be perfect if Lori only would stop giving her the cold shoulder—and she wasn't even sure what she had done wrong to get her angry. But Ryan was coming over to help on the song in a few minutes, so she didn't have time to worry.

She twisted her hair to squeeze out some of the water, put in her contacts, and wrapped her towel around her body, as usual. One of the cons of college living was the shared bathrooms, but she had gotten used to changing back in the room. As she flip-flopped down the hallway to her room, she realized something important: she forgot her key. Thank god Lori was still in there studying.

"Lori?" She knocked softly on the door. "Could you please let me in? I forgot my key." She could faintly hear the noise of a textbook slamming shut, but nothing happened and Kelsi was still left standing in the hallway half-naked. "Lori? I know you're in there. Please, open the door. It's me, Kelsi." She supposed the silent treatment was still in session. "Come on, I need to get changed! Please!" She pounded desperately on the door, so loud that the people downstairs probably wondered what was going on. "Lori!"

Kelsi could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. It was most likely Ryan. Uh-oh. Her towel was slipping, so she dropped her toiletries bag and wrapped it tighter. She was covered from the top of her chest to five inches above her knee, so it wasn't too bad. It was like wearing a strapless dress. At least she had her underwear on underneath.

"Um, Kels?" Someone touched her shoulder lightly. Someone male.

"Ryan!" She whirled around. "I—I, um, I can explain."

"Oh. Uh, what happened?" Ryan asked uncomfortably, averting his eyes to the floor. He cleared his throat nervously. "Is everything okay?"

Kelsi felt a deep blush spreading over her as she took stock of what she must have appeared like to him: wearing nothing but a towel and flip-flops, with wet curls tumbling over her bare shoulders, leaning against a wooden door. "Yeah, it's—it's stupid. I just took a shower and forgot my key and my roommate isn't letting me in."

"I see. Um, allow me," he said, knocking on the door. "Hello? It's Ryan Evans." As expected, Lori immediately opened the door, a smile on her face. Then she saw Kelsi standing next to him, and a shadow crossed over her face.

"Come in, _Ryan_," Lori said, glaring at Kelsi. "You know, I'm a music major too. Well, I mean, this _is _Juilliard. What I meant was, I could help you with your song if you wanted. Instead of Kelsi. Because she's, you know, not exactly dressed for the occasion." Kelsi tightened her grip on her towel, willing Lori to stop talking and Ryan to just go away for the moment so she could get changed in peace.

"I'll just step outside for a minute so you can, um, put some clothes on," Ryan offered. "Oh, and Sharpay's coming soon too. She's just outside arguing with the cab driver." He chuckled, and Kelsi laughed politely. Not that she didn't find Sharpay arguing with some poor driver amusing and completely expected of her, but she really needed to put on some decent clothes. At least something more than her towel.

"See you later," Lori said to Ryan, smiling flirtatiously before closing the door. She said nothing to Kelsi.

"Lori, why didn't you open the door?" Kelsi asked. "Did you hear me?"

No response.

"Please, talk to me," Kelsi pleaded. "Did I do something to offend you? I'm really sorry if I did." Lori had never, as far as Kelsi could remember, shut her out before. Lori was the kind of person who told whoever was there at the moment anything and everything. That person was usually Kelsi. Over the past two years, Kelsi had heard all of Lori's boy-related drama (who she liked, who liked her, who she'd hooked up with, who had asked her out), family troubles (her annoying parents, her hot-but-off-limits brother-in-law-to-be, her annoying sisters), professor gossip (which were nice, which were mean, which gave easy tests, which were hard graders), personal goals (what she wanted to be, where she wanted to live, how she got to Juilliard, why she was here), and whatever else happened to be on Lori's mind at the moment. It was completely different from Kelsi, who preferred to keep her business strictly hers. But over the years, she had gotten used to Lori's constant talking, so when she suddenly just _stopped_, Kelsi got worried.

"As if you don't know," Lori said icily. "Puh-lease. Stop acting all innocent, okay?"

Seeing as the conversation was going nowhere, Kelsi hurriedly pulled on a pair of clean American Eagle jeans and a tee, and tugged a plum-colored newsboy cap over her still-damp hair. She made sure to grab her key and a folder, shut the door gently behind her, and looked around for the twins.

"Excuse us," Sharpay called officiously from somewhere down the hall. "No time for autographs. We have to get through. Now move it!" Kelsi spotted Ryan's hat somewhere in the crowd that had miraculously parted like Moses parting the Red Sea. _Found them_, she thought. Sharpay was strutting through the crowd to Kelsi, still in the lead despite Ryan's superstardom. Ryan tagged behind, offering them an apologetic smile, which caused several girls to swoon. Kelsi remembered a time—well, many times—in high school that Sharpay had come marching down the hallway like that to her, but those times, girls hadn't fainted at the sight of Ryan. Waved, maybe. Giggled, maybe. But swooned? Never. Times had certainly changed.

...

_When you wave at me from across the room_

_I melt a little inside_

_When you sit down with me and talk a little_

_I can't help, I get tongue-tied_

_When you give me just a friendly hug_

_I guess it's me, but I'm electrifed_

_When you ask me if I'm happy now_

_I wanna please you, so I lie_

Kelsi watched as Ryan popped two sugar-free Altoid minis into his mouth and handed the red-and-white tin box to Sharpay, who did the same. He then offered to box to Kelsi, but she declined.

"Two at a time?" Kelsi asked. "Isn't that a bit much?"

"I don't know," Ryan said, shrugging, hoping he didn't sound too snobby. "I think it's a Hollywood thing. You know, like for interviews or whatever. I just kind of got into it when I moved." In truth, he wasn't really sure how he started popping Altoids. It just seemed like habit, after such a long time.

"Yeah, my friend Blake downs like a box a day," Sharpay explained. "But her boyfriend Penn is practically addicted to those Listerine PocketPaks. So I guess anything works, it just has to make your breath smell good."

The pianist's eyes widened. Blake _Lively_? Penn _Badgley_? She shook her head; she'd heard stranger.

"Okay, okay," Sharpay said, taking charge of the situation once again. "Let's get down to business. Mint issue aside, what have you got for us, my little sawed-off Sondheim?"

Kelsi grimaced inwardly at the name but gave Sharpay a sheet of composition paper.

"That's it? A page?" Sharpay said, holding the music between her thumb and index finger like a piece of filthy garbage. "I expected… I don't know, _more_?"

"I… I, um, just got the first verse done," she stated nervously, shifting on the piano bench and fidgeting with her pencil. "I'm working on the chorus now."

"No, Kels, it's okay," Ryan said. "Shar, really, she can take her time if she wants."

"Take her _time_?" his sister screeched. "Look, Kelsi," she said, her voice dripping with sugary sweetness. Suddenly her tone turned menacing. "We need this by next week. We don't have time for all of this, okay? Do you want us to leave? If not, _get it done_. Okay? Glad we understand each other." She flashed Kelsi a fake-cheerful smile and grabbed Ryan's arm, dragging him to a corner of the room. "Excuse us for a minute."

"What was that, Shar?" Ryan asked, once they were out of Kelsi's earshot. "She doesn't need to get it done by next week. She should have all the time she needs to write a good song. Don't lie to her just to get her to hurry up."

"Right. That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about," Sharpay said. "See, the thing is… we really do need the song by next week. Look at today's tabloids." Sharpay fished through her Prada purse, a gift from the designer herself, and handed him her pink-rhinestone-bejeweled Sidekick. He read off the tiny screen:

**Celebrity Insider Online**

Get the scoop on your favorite stars 24/7!

_Ryan's ready for more!_

We all know Ryan Evans. Who doesn't, right? His stellar debut performance in _Finding Eternity_ in 2006 left America wanting more. And for Ryan, more includes launching a singing career, too. An inside source reveals that Ryan's new song (title still under wraps) is coming out right before _The Shoe_ premieres.

"He's really a very talented young singer," the source tells us. "He's got great potential." Well, one thing's for sure: if his new single is anything like "There You Are," then it looks like we'll definitely be tuning in!

"Inside source?" Ryan raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, it was Miles," Sharpay admitted. "But I told him we'd be done soon. Of course, that's not going to happen if we only have _one freaking verse_!"

"Don't take this out on Kelsi," Ryan said defensively. "She didn't know."

"I know, that's the annoying part." His twin sister took back her pink Sidekick and slipped it into her purse. "Because we have one week to write the song, one week to record it, and two to make the music video. Then we release it, then _The Shoe_ premieres. And she wrote—"

"Wait a second," Ryan interrupted, which was something he rarely did. "Are you kidding me? You and Miles told _Celebrity Insider _that I'd have a music video done too? What were you thinking?"

"I was _thinking_ we'd have a song. Look, Ry. You're in this for the relationship part. You want something more than friendship from Kelsi, right? I'm in this for the career part. I want a song from Kelsi that will knock our friend Taylor Swift off the charts. And what was the Golden Rule of Hollywood that Miles told you right before he signed you?"

"Career before relationships," Ryan said, sighing in defeat. He flushed lightly as he remembered the Silver Rule that Miles had told him: "Sleep around all you want, but if you get anyone pregnant before you're twenty-five, your contract is off." Not that he'd ever _done it_ before. He was saving himself for his wedding day, thank you very much. Preferably with Kelsi. Stop thinking about that, he told himself. He shook his head to clear the thoughts from his head. Focus now. Back to the song.

"Exactly." Sharpay grinned triumphantly. "Now to deal with Miss Composer." They found Kelsi sitting at the piano, penning changes to the lyrics and chords.

"Oh, um, hey," Kelsi said, noticing that she was being watched. "Are you guys done already?"

"Yes, we are," Sharpay said, sharing a look with Ryan. "So, Kelsi, what do you say we take a break. We need to discuss some things with you. Is Starbucks okay?"

"Starbucks?" Kelsi asked, seemingly surprised.

"Yeah, you know Starbucks, they sell really cool doorknobs?" Sharpay said sarcastically. "No, duh, Kelsi. The coffee shop."

"I know," Kelsi said, stacking her paper neatly and placing it back into the folder marked "Songs: Ryan Evans."

"So? In or out?" Sharpay demanded. "Ryan, go get us a town car. No, wait—hold that thought. I'll get it. Those Juilliard girls will probably mob you down there."

"I guess I'll go," Kelsi said, watching Sharpay stride purposefully out of the rehearsal room. "Ryan, are you coming?"

"Yeah," he said, wondering what in the world his twin sister could be up to.

…

AN: Hope you liked it! Review pretty please? Yes, I'm talking to all you lurkers there. Come on, all you have to do is click the little button down there!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue.

AN: Sorry for the wait... I was hecka busy last week studying. It seems like all of my teachers are trying to cram in their tests in the week before Thanksgiving Break. But the good news is, it's finally Thanksgiving Break (if you non-US people don't know what that is, Google it)! I have a week off, so I get to catch up on my writing!

…

Lori was crouching in the hallway near the door of the rehearsal room, one ear pressed against the side, eavesdropping on the conversation. She knew it was lower than low, even for her, to try and sabotage any chance Ryan and Kelsi happened to be together, but she needed to do _something_.

"Starbucks?" she heard Kelsi's voice ask. Another voice answered, but Lori had already tuned out. Starbucks, hmm? There were three Starbucks cafés near the university, but which one would they be going to?

She quickly straightened and stepped aside as the door opened. A blonde, somewhat ditzy-looking girl clad completely in designer pink stepped out. She couldn't have been older than Lori, and her face was recognizable—Lori just couldn't place it. The girl opened her perfectly glossed mouth and right away Lori found that she wasn't as big of an airhead as she looked.

"What are _you_ staring at?" The words were sharp and pointed.

"Excuse me? Exactly who," Lori said, "do you think you are?" She wasn't about to let this girl get away with anything. But most students at Juilliard couldn't afford Chanel skirts or D&G sunglasses. That was a reason to stare, right?

The girl narrowed her eyes. "Whatevs." She had a faint Californian accent, if there was such a thing. Even the way she said "whatevs" sounded so stereotypically Valley Girl.

"Never mind," Lori said hurriedly. It didn't seem like such a great idea to get on the blonde's bad side. She walked back to her room. Starbucks. Ryan. She smirked, pulled out her shortest short-shorts and her highest heels, and glided so much lip gloss on that it made her mouth look perpetually pouty. There was no guy in the world who would be able to resist her now.

…

"So it's like this every time you guys go out?" Kelsi asked. Sharpay had found them a cab, and they had driven exactly two blocks before Sharpay told the driver to stop and they got out. They had immediately gotten into a black town car and were currently stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

"Yeah, we have to change cars a lot," Ryan explained. "You know, in case the paparazzi are following us."

"Oh," Kelsi nodded, even though she didn't exactly get it. Then she found her answer. The windows of their car weren't tinted, and four large, somewhat dirty trucks simultaneously drove by. The trucks' windows rolled down, exposing top-of-the-line cameras. Even through the glass, the flash was enough to blind her. She shielded her eyes and face with her hand.

They finally arrived, somewhat rumpled after getting in and out of four different cars, at Starbucks, only to be greeted by a sixteen-year-old preppy-looking girl yakking away on her cell phone. Kelsi assumed she was the cashier, but only because of the signature green Starbucks apron she had on, since the girl wasn't paying attention to anything in the café. Not that there were many customers at three-thirty on a Wednesday afternoon or anything, just a few middle-aged businessmen in suits and a small group of college kids who were probably from NYU or somewhere, since Kelsi didn't recognize any of them.

"Excuse us?" Sharpay tapped her French-manicured nails on the counter impatiently. "We don't have all day."

"One _sec_," the girl said, in a way that was not exactly what Kelsi would call nice. The girl turned back to her cell phone conversation. "And she was all, 'I wasn't…' Wait, what? No _way_! Seriously? Oh my _god_, I thought that—really. I'm _positive_. Totally!" Kelsi realized she must have been one of those rich Upper East Side girls sent to work by her parents to learn the "value of a dollar."

"Look… _Cassidy_," Sharpay said condescendingly, in a way Kelsi knew all too well, reading the girl's name tag. She knocked on the girl's forehead. So much for personal bubbles. "We need drinks. Now."

"Sor-_ree_." Cassidy cast an annoyed glance at the clock behind her. She was probably counting the minutes until her shift ended. "One minute, Anna, I've got customers. Can I take your order?" she asked unenthusiastically, only half paying attention.

"Yes, please, I'd like a—" Ryan started, but he was cut off by a squeal. A really loud, high-pitched, squeal that only girls of a certain age range can make when they meet their favorite stars.

"Oh my god, you're _Ryan Evans_! Anna, seriously. I've got Ryan Evans standing _right in front of me_, I'm not even joking. I _know_! And he's even cuter in person!"

"Um, yes, that's me," Ryan said. "I'd like to have a tall coffee, please."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, totally," Cassidy said eagerly. "And could you sign an autograph for me, please?" Ryan took a Sharpie out from his back pocket and signed her green apron quickly. Kelsi wondered if he perpetually kept a Sharpie in his pocket for instances like this.

"Moving on," Sharpay said. "I need a venti strawberry Frappuccino. Low-fat, no sugar." Even in her coffee Sharpay still had to have her daily dose of pink.

"Right, right," Cassidy said, her head nodding so fast it was bobbing like a jack-in-the-box. "What about you?" she asked Kelsi.

"Um, just a tall iced chai latte," she said. She felt a little bad spending Ryan's money, and had offered to pay, but Ryan insisted. "Thank you." They gathered their drinks, chose a somewhat secluded booth in the corner, and sat down.

"So," Sharpay said. "As I was saying, we need the song by next week. You can mail it to us if you don't have it finished by the time we leave."

"Right," Kelsi said, taking out her folder. "Okay. I was thinking, maybe you'd want to do another slow song again, but the chorus or the tune should be something people would have stuck in their heads. That way, more people would listen, and…"

"Uh-huh. Yeah, you two can discuss this _alone_," Sharpay said, and Kelsi detected an almost mischievous glint in her eye. "I'm gonna talk to those guys over there for a little while." With that, she flounced off in a cloud of Chanel No. 5 in the direction of the NYU guys.

…

"So, maybe we should change that to '_I hold back, too afraid to hurt my pride_'." Ryan gestured to the last line of the second verse. "You know, instead of '_I can't tell you what I'm really feeling inside_'. It sounds a little more natural, don't you think?"

"Yeah, you're right," Kelsi said, rewriting the line. After two hours sitting and drinking coffee, they had finished the pre-chorus and the chorus.

"Um, I was just wondering…" Ryan asked apprehensively.

"Mmmhmm?" Kelsi murmured, still focused on her music as always.

"I don't know," Ryan said, glancing over at his sister. Sharpay was talking—or, actually, flirting—with a guy wearing a Columbia sweatshirt. He watched as she tossed her hair and laughed in that way she used to do when she was around Troy Bolton, but that had been a long time ago. How was it so easy for her? She could just talk to people she liked with no problem at all. No nervousness, no stammering. He envied her for that. "Will your boyfriend be okay with this? I mean, us, and here, and all?"

"What?" Kelsi looked up from the sheet of paper on the table in front of her. "Oh, no, I don't have a boyfriend. Actually, I haven't had one since Jason in junior year, and it wasn't serious at all, if you remember that." How could Ryan forget? The weeks he'd spent locked up in his room pacing when he'd heard that Kelsi had been going out with Jason Cross. "But even if I did, I'm sure he'd be fine. We're only friends, right? It's not like we're dating or anything." She laughed shakily, as if the very idea was impossible.

"Oh, okay," Ryan said. She was single. What did that mean? He was pretty sure he was overanalyzing everything, but he couldn't help it. "Kels, I just want to tell you that…"

"Yeah?" Kelsi asked. "Do you think it'd sound better if we change the D to a C sharp? Or should it stay like that?"

"Um, we should probably change it," Ryan said. "I think I should say this before Sharpay and I leave in a few days, but... I kind of... really like y—"

"Ahh!" He was cut off by a scream that sounded suspiciously like Sharpay. Ryan didn't know whether to thank his sister or to hate her for interrupting when he finally worked up the courage to tell Kelsi how he felt.

"What happened, Shar?" Ryan asked. If she had only broken a nail, he would kill her later.

"What," Sharpay said, crossing the café to where Ryan and Kelsi were sitting, "is _she_ doing here?"

"Who?" Kelsi turned.

"That… _that girl_." Sharpay pointed someone just outside the glass doors, peering inside. Someone tall and redheaded, wearing a tiny pair of shorts and ridiculously high heels. Ryan knew immediately who it was and pulled down on the brim of his hat, hoping he wouldn't be recognized. "Ugh, stalker much?"

"Oh, that's Lori," Kelsi explained. "She's my roommate." Unfortunately, Lori must have seen them—it might have been the hats or the pink that gave the three away, but whatever it was, she pushed open the door and practically skipped towards them. Ryan groaned inwardly. Lori seemed nice enough, but it was kind of a fake nice. Like someone who liked him because of his fame or his money or his looks, not someone who liked him for who he was.

"Hi, Ryan!" Lori said cheerfully, pulling up a chair to their table. "I totally didn't know you were here. Oh, hey, Kelsi." Ryan thought he detected a hint of a glare as Lori addressed Kelsi, but the look faded.

"She's your _roommate_?" Sharpay asked, her voice laced with disdain. She narrowed her eyes. "She's that girl Ryan was talking about?"

"You were talking about me?" Lori asked coyly, edging closer to him. She didn't seem to notice that he was trying to slip away.

"Yeah, he said that you were trying to intrude on—mmfgh!" Ryan's hand clamped on Sharpay's mouth. His sister obviously didn't know when to stop talking sometimes.

"Whatever. So, working on the song?" She leaned her elbows on the table so that her already low-cut shirt revealed more than what Ryan probably wanted to see. Sharpay rolled her eyes. She didn't like this Lori girl already. Trying to corrupt her innocent baby brother like that… the _nerve_!

"Yeah," Kelsi said softly, barely nodding her head.

"So, did you like what I've written so far? The first verse, and all?" Lori asked casually, examining her hair for split ends.

"What? Didn't _Kelsi_ write it?" Sharpay burst out. She'd never thought for once in her life would she be defending Kelsi Nielsen, but she would definitely rather have Small Person than Stuck-up Roomie as a composer.

"Didn't she tell you?" Lori smiled smugly as she turned to face the smaller girl. "She just did the harmony. I did the lyrics and melody."

Kelsi said nothing, but her gray eyes flashed dangerously. It was one thing to flirt with a world-famous movie star. It was a completely different thing to credit your roommate's song as your own.

"So, what did you think?" Lori pressed, ignoring the look on Kelsi's face. It wasn't much of a difference than her regular look, but Ryan had studied Kelsi's every facial expression back in high school for forty-five minutes each day during Calculus—not that he'd ever admit it or anything. He knew what she was thinking.

"It was… okay," Sharpay said carefully. "Although I'd have liked it better if you weren't lying." No one lied to Sharpay Evans and got away with it. This was the original Drama Queen Lori was dealing with, and Sharpay wanted her to know it.

"What are you talking about?" Lori asked, stretching her arms above her head and exposing her tan stomach.

"Whatever." Sharpay took a sip of her strawberry Frappuccino. "Let's go, Ryan. We've got better things to do."

"Um, okay. It was nice seeing you again, Lori. We'll meet again tomorrow, Kels?" he asked, getting up from the table.

The composer nodded briefly before collecting her paper and rising from her seat, leaving the café silently.

"Hope to see you soon, Ryan," Lori cooed, stretching out the last syllable of Ryan's name. She watched as the twins left, noticing that Ryan always opened the door for his sister. So the blonde girl with the attitude problem was Sharpay Evans—the infamous blonde media darling, known for her connection with Ryan, her tell-it-like-it-is nature, and her obsession with pink. Lori sank back into her seat, her heels throbbing. If it weren't for Sharpay, and, of course, his attraction to Kelsi, Ryan would probably be hers by now. She felt a twinge of guilt for taking credit for Kelsi's work, but still. Her reasons were justified. Right?

…

AN: So there you have it: a little peek into Lori's mind... maybe it will generate a little sympathy for her? But yes, you can definitely hate on her. I do =].


	8. Chapter 8

A reminder: HSM3 never happened in this… so here's a little backstory:

Troy and Gabriella- both going to college in California, still together, still the poster couple of teenage love.

Chad- going to U of A on a basketball scholarship, on-again, off-again with Taylor, still best friends with Troy.

Taylor- going to Harvard, still best friends with Gabriella.

Sharpay and Ryan- were planning to go to Juilliard, but moved to LA after graduation, Ryan pursued a film career and became famous and all that.

Kelsi- going to Juilliard on scholarship.

And BTW, Ryan and Kelsi both went to senior prom stag.

…

_Once in a lifetime_

_Means there's no second chance_

_So I believe that you and m—_

Kelsi grabbed her ringing cell phone, looked at the caller ID, and flipped it open. "Hi, Daddy."

"Hey, kiddo," Peter Nielsen said to his only daughter. "Just wanted to check in with you. How's school?"

"It's fine," Kelsi said. She decided to leave out the part about Lori taking credit for her composition. "I'm fine."

"That's good. So, any news?"

"Oh! Yeah, definitely," Kelsi exclaimed. "Remember Ryan Evans?"

"Was it that boy in drama club with you whose sister you were afraid of in seventh grade?" Peter asked. "I thought you were friends now. What about him?"

"Guess what?" Kelsi said, barely able to contain her good news. This was _Ryan Evans._ Just one song for him could do wonders for her future as a composer. But then, of course, she wasn't just in this for the fame. "He asked me to write a song for him!"

"Oh, okay, kiddo." Her father sounded a lot less excited than she had hoped. "But you've written lots of songs for him and his sister. What's so special about this one?"

Kelsi groaned. Did her father really not know? "You know that movie _Finding Eternity_?" she asked. "Or _Lucky 21_, or_ I.Q._?"

"Hmm. I think I remember something like that," Peter said thoughtfully. "Have we seen a movie called _Finding Eternity_?" he called to his wife.

"Oh, yes, was that the one about the girl with cancer? And she and her best friend went on the cross-country road trip?" Kelsi could vaguely hear her mother's voice in the background. "Is that Kels on the phone?"

"Yeah, but use the other phone in our bedroom, Diane," Peter said. Kelsi grinned unconsciously. She missed home.

"Kelsi, sweetie, are you there?" her mother asked. "I remember _Finding Eternity_. We saw it soon after you left for Juilliard a couple years ago. Scarlett Johansson was absolutely lovely in that one. I cried at the end when her character died."

"Right, right," Kelsi said. She should really be getting to the point. "Do you know who played her best friend Lucas?"

"I'm not sure," Diane said. "He looked very familiar, though."

"It was Ryan Evans," Kelsi finally told her parents. "Remember Ryan Evans? He's a pretty big deal now."

"Oh, he and his sister Sharpay were the co-presidents of the drama club," her mother said. "Weren't they supposed to have been going to Juilliard with you? That's what their parents said, wasn't it, Peter?" Kelsi's father must have nodded, because Diane continued. "Well, I always thought that it would be Sharpay who would end up the famous one—on Broadway, not Hollywood. Funny how things turn out, huh?"

…

"Uh-oh," Ryan said in the car, his eyes widening.

"Uh-oh, what?" Sharpay said, leaning back into the town car's leather seat.

"I forgot my hat at Starbucks," he explained. Sharpay's eyes traveled up his face and landed on his perfectly-gelled blond head of hair, which was hat-free. She grabbed her cup of coffee from the cupholder and groaned.

"Sorry," she said to their driver. "We'll get out here." She gave him a ten-dollar bill and they hurried outside, calling for him to keep the change. "Hurry, though."

They stepped back inside Starbucks, searching for the hat. "Found it!" Ryan called. "Hey, Shar, I'm going to use the men's room, okay?"

"Sure," she said. She noticed that _that girl_ was still in their original booth. She headed over to give what's-her-name a talking-to. "Look, Lucy," Sharpay snapped.

"It's Lori," Lori corrected, raising her eyebrows.

"Whatever. Just stay away from my brother," Sharpay warned. "I don't care what your name is, but if you don't stop stalking him, you're dead. He doesn't like you. He. Doesn't. Like. You. Clear?"

"How do _you_—" Lori said.

"How do I know? You're asking me how _I_ know? He's my brother. My _freaking twin brother_. I've known him his entire life. Do you think I won't be able to tell who he likes? He'll never like you, that's for sure, with that horribly underconditioned little carrot-top you call hair and your _New Ywoka tawk_." Sharpay said the last three words with an overly exaggerated city accent.

"Excuse me?" Lori asked.

"Oh, yeah," Sharpay said. "And you want to know what I think of you?" She took what was left of her low-fat, no-sugar strawberry Frappuccino and uncapped the lid. In one swift motion, Sharpay dumped the icy pink slush from its plastic cup and onto Lori's low-cut tank top. "That's what I think of you." She grinned, showing her professionally-whitened teeth. Ever since Gabriella Montez had accidentally—or so she had claimed, but Sharpay knew better—slipped and spilled her chili fries on Sharpay's _brand new_ shirt that one day in junior year, she had an unappeasable desire to dump her food on someone to get a feel of what it was like on the other side. And Lori was the perfect way to help her brother and have a little fun of her own.

Lori just stood there with Frappuccino dripping off her chest, shocked and speechless.

"If that doesn't discourage you and you still want Ryan," Sharpay said, raising one perfectly waxed eyebrow dangerously, "and he's insane and actually wants you too, and you guys get married, then who do you think you'll have for a sister-in-law? Look," she said softly, but in a threatening tone. "You know I don't like you. So why don't you just get out of our lives. Ryan's not going to leave me _or_ Kelsi for you. He and I do everything together—we're _twins_. And if I don't like you, he won't either. He won't be as… _vocal _as I am about it, but he won't like you all the same. I'm saying this for your own good: stop what you're doing and we'll all be happier."

"Why should I do what _you_ say?" Lori said, her eyes narrowing as she unsuccessfully tried to scrub the drink from her shirt with a brown paper napkin.

"Believe me," Sharpay said. "You should." Pausing for a minute to examine her work, she tossed off coolly, "Oh, and to accompany those faux Chanel boots and your Frauda (AN: fraud Prada… get it?) bag, you can have this cup to cry your fake tears into." She shoved the clear plastic cup that once held her coffee into Lori's hands. "That's all."

At that moment, Ryan emerged from the bathroom with his hat now on his head. "What happened, Shar?" he asked concernedly, confused as to why Lori had a huge pink splotch on her shirt and his sister was standing with a satisfied smirk on her face. "Is everyone okay?"

"Oh, nothing," Sharpay said, slinging her purse over her shoulder and beckoning her brother to leave. "Everything is just _perfect_."

Ryan looked at Lori and shot her a sorry-for-whatever-Sharpay-did look while following his sister out of the café. "What did you do to her?" he asked, once they were out onto the streets. He slid his sunglasses back on in a futile attempt to disguise himself.

"You are the most oblivious person on Earth," Sharpay said, smiling slyly as she summoned a cab. "But don't worry. Lori got _everything_ she deserved."

…

AN: Hope you liked it; Lori finally got told off by Sharpay! Too harsh? Too un-harsh? Let me know what you thought. It's Thanksgiving today... and I'm really thankful for all you guys's reviews (hint hint)!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: still applies.

AN: Sorry for the short chapter... I promise the next one will be longer! Don't kill me please *dodges rotten tomatoes thrown at me* =].

…

"We're here," the cabbie said, opening the door for Sharpay, who was sitting in the front passenger seat. Kelsi stepped out into the streets, which were lined with press and screaming fans held at bay by the NYPD.

Robert, whom the driver had introduced himself as, opened the trunk of his taxi and hauled out Sharpay's five pink suitcases and Ryan's more normal two black ones. Sharpay pulled a twenty out from her wallet and slapped it into Robert's chalky palm, and after he had driven away, Kelsi helped lug the bags into the air-conditioned airport. She was well aware of the numerous flashes of the paparazzi cameras and thanked God that the inside of the airport was press-free. She didn't know how the Evans twins could stand it. Sharpay, though, she supposed, was more than happy to bask in the glory of fame.

"Thanks, Kels," Ryan said appreciatively. "You didn't have to come all this way with us, though."

"No big deal," Kelsi said. "It's really okay. And besides, Lori isn't talking to me much these days anyway." They dropped off their baggage and Kelsi led the way through the JFK Airport.

"We're at the security checkpoint," Sharpay announced to her two companions, who, instead of listening to her, were absorbed in a conversation about… hats? "Hello? Hey, Ry! Stop talking."

"Oh! Sorry, Shar." Ryan stepped in line. "Well. I guess… I mean, um, we'll see you soon, Kels?"

"Maybe," Kelsi shrugged nonchalantly. They were probably going to forget about her as soon as they stepped foot in L.A. again, nice as they had been this week. "I'll have the song by Monday, hopefully. I'll mail it to you then, okay?"

"Yeah, the song. That would be great," Sharpay said, all business. "And Ryan has something he wants to say, right, Ry?" She looked to her brother. Kelsi crinkled her eyebrows. Couldn't he have said it on their five-minute trip to Security?

"Um, I—yeah. I, uh… Shar? Could you leave us alone for a sec?" Ryan asked. He was obviously nervous, which made Kelsi wonder more. Sharpay, never one for taking orders, moved forward in the line. _Sharpay was actually listening to Ryan._ It had to be something important.

"Is something bothering you?" Kelsi asked, concerned.

"No, no," Ryan shook his head. He played with the brim of his tweed flat cap. "Look, Kels… ah, cripes, this is much harder than I thought it would be."

"Cripes?" Kelsi raised her eyebrows. She didn't know anyone else who said _cripes_ anymore.

"I'm not a big fan of using profanity. I guess I'm sort of old-fashioned that way. Is that weird?" he asked, looking at her worriedly.

"What? No, of course not," Kelsi reassured him. She was reassuring Ryan Evans. Ryan Evans, who—she knew from experience—could go onstage and make a fool of himself if the script required it. Could this day get any stranger?

"Oh, okay, that's good," he said. He seemed relieved. Why, Kelsi had no idea. His gaze turned intense and he took her hand in his. "Look, I… I just wanted to say that I really, really like you, you know? Since we shared that box of crayons in kindergarten. So, I know this is probably kind of weird for you, but… I just wanted to let you know." The words came out in a rush, and he searched Kelsi's face hopefully, waiting for a reaction—any reaction. He got no response. "I mean, I know this is probably kind of a lot to deal with right now, but please don't hate me. Kels?"

Kelsi just stared at the guy wearing the hundred-dollar tweed cap in front of her, her hand limp in his. _What?!_

"Look, I—I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have said… well, uh…" He glanced at Sharpay for help, but she motioned for him to hurry up, because he was blocking the line. "Sorry. Um, well, bye."

…

"Why did I tell her? _Why_ did I tell her?" Ryan muttered to himself, fingering the brim of his flat cap. "I was so stupid. I just thought that, you know… since she was still single and all, and we were working on the song together, that she might have liked me too."

"Don't worry, Ry," Sharpay said, texting Miles to see if Boi was doing fine back in L.A. before the pilot told them to shut off all electronics. Sure, it wasn't exactly customary for a professional to dog-sit for his client's sister, but Miles was more of a friend to the twins than just Ryan's agent. "She was probably just surprised. It's not every day a movie star tells you he likes you."

"Right," he said. "That's probably it."

"Besides," Sharpay added. "There are tons of girls who would die for you. So even if she doesn't, you can always choose someone else. You're _Ryan Evans_, for god's sake."

"Shar, not helping," Ryan said. A flight attendant appeared at his side and offered the two a bowl of mixed nuts. He popped an almond in his mouth and sighed.

"Here's a thought." His sister snapped her Sidekick closed and slipped it into her Louis Vuitton purse. "Don't stress so much. If she doesn't like you, then it's her loss. Now can we puh-lease talk about something less depressing?"

"Like what?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know. Like what you're going to wear for the premiere or something. Do you think we should have your outfit coordinate with Mandy's dress? Because you're costars, and all?"

"I thought Mandy was coming with her new boyfriend. You know, they got together after the last movie she did," Ryan shrugged, but his mind was still on Kelsi. "I'm going to sleep, okay, Shar?" He settled his head into the pillow and wrapped the complementary blanket around his shoulders, drifting off into slumber.

Maybe he'd wake up and realize that it was all a dream, and that Kelsi still had no idea. Maybe that would be better.

…

AN: Yes, you probably hate Kelsi right now for not saying anything, but she had a reason... which you will find out in the next chapter!


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Wow... that's all I can say. 100 reviews? Thank you guys so much for all of your reviews and alerts and favorites! I remember back in the day (well, this summer) when there was like one single page of Ryelsi fics. And now we have six pages and a community! Yay! Yeah... I'm gonna stop talking now.

…

_When you tell me more than I want to know about him_

_I fake a smile, hey, I tried_

_When…_

_I…_

_When…_

_I…_

_When there are those times I wanna speak out_

_I hold back, too afraid to hurt my pride_

"Tried. Tried. What rhymes with tried?" Kelsi muttered to herself, running her hands through her curls in frustration. "I've used everything. Tried… ride… tied… shied… lied… flyed…" Was _flyed_ even a word? Or was the past tense of fly _flew_? Maybe the instant coffee was getting to her brain. She groaned, poured herself another cup, and rubbed her temples. She was almost done with the song. Almost. She still had half a verse plus the bridge left, but it seemed like she had run out of different words.

After what seemed like an eternity, Kelsi finally fit lyrics to the melody, finished the bridge, and gave the song a harmony. Satisfied, she leaned back and stretched her sore hands before sticking on a yellow Post-it and writing a small note on it—just what Kelsi hoped was a friendly "congratulations" on his growing reputation as a singer and actor. They were just friends, nothing more, so she didn't want to give Ryan an inkling of the dream she'd had last night. It was nice: he had told her that he liked her and Sharpay had approved. The only part she hated was that she'd done nothing to confirm her feelings. Nada. If she would, she'd do anything to re-dream her dream with a happier ending, but of course, she would never tell Ryan. He'd remain as clueless as ever, and Kelsi would keep admiring him from afar.

She slid on her flip-flops, clutching the song in a manila envelope, and slipped outside. After affixing the first-class stamp to the envelope and double-checking the address she'd gotten from one of Ryan's numerous fan sites, she dropped it into the on-campus mailbox for students. She smiled proudly, getting the same tingly feeling she got when she finished another song. No matter how many she'd written, Kelsi always knew that the spark would remain. She made her way back to her room and began cleaning up her coffee packets, eraser shavings, and crumpled unfinished verses.

"Hey, Kels," Lori said, letting herself into their room. She kicked off her shoes and collapsed on the bed, exhausted from another late-night date with Henry. Kelsi turned away and took a sip of coffee. "Look, I just want to say… I'm sorry, okay?"

"What?" Kelsi asked, fully rotating herself around to face her roommate. Lori hardly ever apologized. No, make that _never_ apologized. She usually just kept silent and let the problem dissolve itself. Kelsi was shocked. "What did you say?"

"I'm… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for butting into everything, I'm sorry for following you guys to Starbucks, I'm sorry for trying to steal your song. Okay? There, I said it."

"Oh, well," Kelsi stammered. "Apology accepted." Sharpay would probably reprimand her for being too lenient, but hey—_she_ wouldn't have to live with Lori for the next two and a half years.

"Okay, now that _that's_ out of the way… Kels?" Lori asked, turning to face Kelsi. "Yeah, you might wanna see this." She gestured to her laptop. An internet browser was open, and the bright background and royal purple text of the page was unmistakably _Celebrity Insider_. A few pictures at the top of the page accompanying the piece caught her attention. They were pixilated and a little unclear—or maybe that was because the people in them were moving. So what about the photos? She could discern the two and a half figures in the first photograph. The completely-dressed-in-pink girl was obviously Sharpay. The other was wearing a fedora: Ryan. Ryan was helping another girl in a plum-colored newsboy cap step out of a yellow taxi cab. It took a full minute to realize the girl was _her_. Oh god. There were a series of pictures of the three of them: Ryan holding the door open for the two girls as they stepped into Starbucks the other day, she and Ryan buying their coffee while Sharpay was a pink blur in the background, Ryan and Sharpay talking with her while all three of them were looking at a sheet of composition paper, and herself holding up a hand to block the flash of a camera while climbing into a black town car with the twins. She quickly scanned the article beneath it.

**Celebrity Insider Online**

Get the scoop on your favorite stars 24/7!

_Who's That Girl?_

"What's the story, morning glory? What's the word, mockingbird?" And so begins the song "The Telephone Hour" from the musical _Bye Bye Birdie_. It's also exactly what all of America's asking. Ever since Ryan Evans and his sister Sharpay were photographed—several times—with an unknown girl during their trip the NYC, the rumors have been buzzing. A high school sweetheart? Cousin? Long-lost sister? All are options. One is an answer.

"Her name's Kelsi," Ryan told us, blushing slightly. "She's really sweet. She and I are actually writing 'Only You' together." Oh, yes, you guys—keep your ears open for Ryan's new single coming out next week!

And is she the mystery girl behind "There You Are"? "Yes, she is," Ryan admits. "I like her a lot. I don't think she returns the feelings, but, you know, there's always a tiny irrational part of my brain that hopes she might like me back, as… more than a friend."

Who wouldn't like _Ryan Evans_ back? That's what we want to know. Stay tuned for more info on Ryan's love crisis!

"Oh. My. God." Kelsi stared at the page, not believing what she had just read. "Oh my god. It—it wasn't a dream. It wasn't a dream!" She clicked frantically on the picture thumbnails to enlarge them, her index finger tracing Ryan's profile. "Oh my god."

…

"Let's see what we have here," Miles said, sitting on a cream-colored chaise in Sharpay's living room. Ryan had bought Sharpay the house of her dreams, with four bedrooms and five and a half baths, but he preferred to stay in the condo he'd bought when he first moved to L.A. There were piles and piles of assorted envelopes in front of them, some decorated with lipstick kisses and all addressed to Ryan Evans. It was tradition for the three of them (Ryan, Sharpay, and Miles) every Saturday morning if Ryan wasn't working, to go through the fan mail at Sharpay's house over their morning coffee.

"Where's the letter opener?" Ryan asked, arriving from the kitchen carrying two ceramic mugs full of steaming liquid. He set them down on a part of the carved mahogany coffee table that wasn't covered with mail and went back into the kitchen for the last cup. "Shar, could you get the letter opener?"

"Yeah, here it is," Sharpay said, tossing the custom-made platinum Tiffany tool to Miles. "Let's get started, shall we?" She emptied two low-fat creamers and two packets of Splenda into her coffee and took a sip.

"Okay." Ryan returned with his cup of coffee and picked up a plain manila envelope. It wasn't too big or too small, but he liked to start with the most normal-looking envelope in the pile. It was a quirk of his. "To: Ryan Evans, c/o Miles Powell. P.O. Box 1335, Los Angeles, California."

"Where's it from?" Miles asked, his laptop out in front of him. He had an Excel spreadsheet open to track down how much fan mail they got from various parts of the country, and occasionally, the world.

"Um," Ryan said, reading the return address. The handwriting seemed familiar. He knew that _R_. He'd spent over an hour analyzing the way that _R_ was written in high school, when she'd lost her binder with all her notes inside and he happened to stumble upon it. "Kelsi Nielsen. _Kelsi Nielsen_?" he asked in shock. He almost ripped the envelope in his haste to open it.

"Kelsi Nielsen… Kelsi Nielsen…" Miles mused. "Where have I heard that name before?"

"The composer," Sharpay supplied helpfully. "What's a letter from Kelsi doing in the fan mail pile?" she asked her brother.

"I don't know," Ryan asked. "I guess I forgot to give her my real address so she could mail me the song, so she just sent it to the public one." He finally got the envelope open, and reached inside for his prize. There were several sheets of composition paper, with every word written on it with a fine-tipped fountain pen. "It's here," he breathed, relishing each note.

"What? Let me see," Sharpay said. She grabbed the paper out of her brother's hand, and a pale yellow Post-it tumbled to the floor in the process. Sharpay snatched it out of the air and read it aloud, for Ryan and Miles to hear.

_Ryan—_

_Here's the song you asked for. Hope it meets your expectations, but if you want to change anything, please feel free. Congratulations on your new movie!_

_- Kelsi_

"Aww, how sweet," Sharpay cooed. "She wished you luck. Funny, I thought you said she hated you. You think she heard what you said to _Celebrity Insider_? Whatever, now let's hear the song." She set the paper on the music stand built into her black grand piano, and Ryan took a seat and ran his fingers over the keys. "Come on, Ry. Sing."

_ONLY YOU_

_Written by Ryan Evans and Kelsi Nielsen_

_When you wave at me from across the room_

_I melt a little inside_

_When you sit down with me and talk awhile_

_I can't help, I get tongue-tied_

_When you give me just a friendly hug_

_I guess it's me, but I'm electrified_

_When you ask me if I'm happy now_

_I wanna please you, so I lie_

_PRE-CHORUS_

_Because then I see you holding his hand_

_Eyes only for each other_

_I start feeling like a third wheel_

_Guess I'm always just the supportive best friend_

_CHORUS_

_But don't you know, don't you know_

_It's only you I want_

_And can't you see, can't you see_

_You're the only one for me_

_When you tell me more than I want to know about him_

_I fake a smile, hey, I tried_

_When more than once I can't tell you what_

_I'm really thinking in my mind_

_When you ask me if I think he's the guy for you_

_I say "I guess," 'cause no one's on my side_

_When there are those times I wanna speak out_

_I hold back, too afraid to hurt my pride_

_PRE-CHORUS_

_CHORUS_

_BRIDGE_

_Standing on the sidelines gets a little lonely_

_Times like this, sometimes I feel everyone's against me_

_And when you try to reach out and comfort me_

_It's hard because I can't tell you that it's only you_

_Who's causing it all when we're just friends_

_And nothing more, that's for sure, yet again_

_CHORUS x2_

_It's only you that I want..._

"I think we've got a hit." Miles smiled, pleased. "That was wonderful. I've got the recording studio booked for tomorrow at seven in the morning," he said, stylus in hand, tapping away on his PalmPilot, "and we can get the video set by maybe even day after tomorrow."

"Great," Ryan said. "Hey, by the way, do you think it's okay, if, you know, I invite someone to the premiere next week?"

"Why not?" Sharpay shrugged. "It's _your_ movie. Got someone special in mind?" She grinned at her brother.

"Maybe," he said, trying to sound blasé. "Could you guys excuse me for a sec?" He collected his cell phone from Sharpay's coffee table and retreated into the kitchen. He took a yoga breath—he had continued yoga, because his voice coach had said it was good for singing—and dialed a now-familiar number.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, hey, Kels," he said. "It's Ryan."

"Oh, hi," Kelsi said. Ryan could tell she was tired even with the three-thousand-mile distance between them. "Did you get the song?"

"Yeah, it just came in this morning." Ryan paced along the hallway, like he always did when he was nervous. "I'm sorry, I forgot to give you my address. I don't know, I must have blanked or something."

"It's okay," Kelsi said. "Um, by the way, about what you said at the airport…"

"Just… forget about it." Ryan winced at the memory. "It was really stupid of me. Can we pretend it never happened?"

"Oh, of course, if you want," Kelsi agreed hastily. "So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Um, I was wondering if you'd like to, you know, attend the _The Shoe_ premiere with us? I mean, with me, and Sharpay, and my agent Miles?" Ryan held his breath, waiting for her answer.

"It's next weekend, right?" Kelsi asked.

"Yeah," he said. "But, you know, if you're not free, or if you don't want to, you don't have to come."

"It's fine," Kelsi said, and he could almost picture her smiling on the other end. "I'd love to, thanks."

They spent the next half hour with Sharpay and Miles on speakerphone discussing flight plans, when she would arrive in L.A., her hotel (but Sharpay offered to let Kelsi stay in her massive five-bedroom house), and the song.

"See you soon," Kelsi said. "Sorry, I've got class in five minutes. Bye!"

"Bye," Ryan and Sharpay chorused. Miles had turned on his PalmPilot and was tapping furiously, scheduling flights and limo rides.

"This is going to be the best premiere ever," Ryan said, sighing happily.

…

AN: This is the second to last chapter of the story *sniff sniff*. It's almost over... but there _will,_ after ten chapters, be a happy ending. I swear.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Sorry, it's been what? A week now? I've been studying for final exams (aka student torture devices), though. Actually, I kind of still should be last-minute cramming... but oh well. In the meantime, enjoy the last chapter!

…

As Kelsi stepped off the plane into LAX, she reminded herself why first class was exactly that: first class. There were footrests, and personal TVs, and huge seats, and actual food instead of just a beverage. Sharpay and Ryan were paying, and Kelsi felt sort of bad leeching so much money off them, but Sharpay was still intimidating and Kelsi wasn't about to argue with her. Besides, the V.I.P. treatment kind of nice. Weird, but nice.

"Kelsi!" a voice called from somewhere through the crowd in the airport. "Let's get your bags and move." So classically Sharpay. She saw a head of blond hair bob through the throng of people, followed by someone in a black hat wearing aviator sunglasses. Sharpay and Ryan.

"I'm over here," she called, waving. She cursed her height for making it hard for them to see her, but she was the only person wearing a lavender plaid bucket hat in the entire airport, so she guessed that evened it out a bit.

"Make way!" Sharpay's naturally projecting voice carried itself through the building. "Ryan Evans coming through." People practically flattened themselves against their luggage to clear a path for the dynamic duo.

"There you are, Kels," Ryan said, grinning at her. She hardly saw a trace of anything more than friendship in his gesture and decided to go along with it.

"Yeah," she said. "LA is a lot warmer in the fall than New York," she remarked.

"San Francisco is freezing in October, though," Ryan said. "Not as bad as New York was, you know, with the snow and all, but the fog was really thick. You could hardly see anything."

"Okay," Sharpay said, clapping her hands. "The limo's outside, and since the premiere's tomorrow, we need to get Kelsi a dress _fast_. I've already made requests at Chanel and I've held some Diane von Furstenberg and YSL dresses that are waiting for you at home, but I guessed your size so you have to try them on to see which ones fit best. And for shoes I have some Jimmy Choos that might fit you, or those cute Prada slingbacks with the red suede roses, plus, there's the new Louboutin collection that Christian had sent over from Paris last week…"

"You'll catch on soon," Ryan whispered, giving her a reassuring smile, as Sharpay rambled on, listing famous name brands and up-and-coming exotic designers. Kelsi didn't even _know_ half of the brands Sharpay had named, but pretended to listen while nodding thoughtfully when necessary, as they wheeled Kelsi's suitcases out of the airport.

"I hope so," Kelsi whispered back. "I'm not sure if a Manolo stiletto heel is a type of shoe or some sort of European weapon. It sounds lethal." Ryan laughed.

"Miss," the limo driver said, opening the door for the three of them when they arrived.

"Thank you," Kelsi said. She wasn't sure if you were supposed to thank the driver or not in LA, but it was the nice thing to do, and besides, everyone could use another thank you in their life.

"We're going home," Sharpay told the driver. He tipped his driving cap to them from the front seat and pressed the gas pedal, dodging the paparazzi and fans lining the streets.

"Oh. My. God." Kelsi gaped at the mansion in front of them from straight out of the movies. They had pulled up the circular gravel driveway of a house in a secluded Beverly Hills neighborhood. "This is your house?"

"Yeah, home sweet home," Sharpay said, shrugging as she got out of the limo. "There are four bedrooms. Well, technically, five, if you include the guesthouse, so you can pick whichever. Except one is my parents', for when they come to visit, and one is Ryan's, if he feels like staying over for the night. And there's mine. So you can have the last one in the house, okay?"

"Um, yeah, sure," Kelsi said. Her mind was still reeling. Sharpay had a _guesthouse_? Kelsi supposed she shouldn't have been too surprised when, after Sharpay had entered the security code to get in, she dragged her bags into the entryway and was greeted with a gold-veined marble floor, mahogany grand staircase, and a huge crystal chandelier that was sparkling like crazy. Mr. Evans's fortune and investments, coupled with Ryan's seven-figure paycheck, meant Sharpay could afford to spend whatever she wanted on her house while Kelsi was living in a tiny college dorm with a moody roommate and no air conditioning. Sometimes life just wasn't fair.

"This is your room," Sharpay gestured vaguely at one of five doors in a hallway, but Kelsi wasn't exactly sure which one. Whatever, she'd figure it out later. She deposited her suitcases on the marble foyer and let herself be dragged into a random room decorated with pink. It was no doubt Sharpay's. "Ryan, go make some coffee or tea or something," Sharpay called to her brother. "We'll be finding a dress for Kelsi and then we're going to the spa for treatments, okay?"

Kelsi looked over helplessly at Ryan and he flashed her a reassuring smile as he disappeared into what Kelsi assumed was the kitchen. A very large, shiny, brand-new-looking kitchen at that.

Four hours and seventy-two rejected dresses later, Sharpay and Kelsi finally agreed on one that was neither too showy nor too plain. And then came the makeovers at the spa, which was definitely something Kelsi did not look forward to. Even the mere thought of all the pinching, plucking, painting, and waxing they were going to do to her made her wince. Oh joy.

…

Kelsi stepped out of Sharpay's walk-in closet the day of the _The Shoe_ premiere and sighed as she adjusted her dress. It was a pale peach color and reached just above her knees, with a full skirt made of tulle and a delicately beaded bodice. Simple yet classy and precisely Kelsi's style. Still, Kelsi didn't feel ready for a premiere. She couldn't control the butterflies that were currently invading her stomach. She glanced at the girl who was surveying her up and down, narrowing her brown eyes as she fixed Kelsi's hemline and added a pearl necklace to the ensemble. _That_ girl looked more than ready.

Sharpay's gown was a Barbie doll's dream: glittery and floor-length, in her signature bubble-gum hue that the press had dubbed "Sharpay pink." Custom made, of course.

"Come on, Kelsi," Sharpay said, every hair perfectly in place as she smoothed out a stray strand of Kelsi's brown locks. "The limo's going to be here soon and you look…"

Kelsi waited. Sharpay could be a bit of a hypocrite—acting cruel to a person one minute and defending them the next—but she was fiercely loyal to those she liked. And with Sharpay on her side, she was protected. Because even though Ryan was famous, even though he was the star, Sharpay was still in control. Sharpay held the power.

"You look great. Good enough for Ryan." Sharpay said decisively. "You should keep your hair like that. You know, stop hiding behind the hats." Kelsi let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. After fifteen years of suffering, she was finally on Sharpay's good side. _Finally_.

They strode down the staircase together, where Ryan and Miles were waiting at the foot. Ryan was speechless at Kelsi's beauty, and he shuddered inwardly as he realized how sappy he sounded. But love was one big sap story, and he was in love.

"This is my agent, Miles," Ryan said, introducing Kelsi to a dark-haired man. She supposed he could be considered handsome, in that dashing, Clark Kent sort of way. He was probably in his late twenties to early thirties, she guessed. Miles extended his hand and she shook it.

"Pleasure," he said formally. He clipped a Bluetooth to his ear and opened the door for the other three. "We're going to be there in approximately fifteen minutes," he said to the person on the other side. "Prepare the red carpet—what? Oh, no, Mandy's not coming with us. She's arriving with her new beau, I think. Yes, yes. All right. Talk to you later, then." He stepped into the front passenger seat of the limo, while Sharpay, Ryan, and Kelsi slid into the roomy back.

"Hey," Kelsi said, suddenly noticing something.

"What?" Ryan asked. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, no, it's not that," Kelsi said. "It's just… your hat looks kind of like the one you wore to senior prom." Her eyes widened, as if she had just realized she had said that out loud, and she blanched and covered her mouth with her hand. "Sorry, that sounded really weird. I wasn't—I'm not a stalker, or anything. I just noticed. You know?" She rambled, trying to cover for herself, her skin turning from white to a deep shade of red.

"Oh?" Ryan raised his eyebrows and lifted his hat from his head. It was, indeed, the same one he'd worn to East High's prom two years ago. She'd remembered? They hadn't even gone together, but she'd _remembered_! That was something. He smiled to himself.

"Um, by the way," Kelsi asked. "Who exactly is Mandy? I haven't seen the trailer for your movie yet."

"Mandy Moore? Do you know her?" Ryan asked. Kelsi's eyes widened. She was going to meet _Mandy Moore_? Could this day get any stranger? Ryan, on the other hand, felt a lot more comfortable knowing Kelsi had probably forgotten the whole airport incident.

"We're here," Sharpay announced, and their driver opened the door for them. It was now or never, Kelsi decided.

"You know what?" Kelsi said, leaning over to him as Sharpay stepped out of the limo, waving to her adoring public.

"Yeah?" Ryan asked.

"I really like you too," she whispered, her breath tickling his cheek. She was in such close proximity. It couldn't hurt… could it?

Ryan leaned over on impulse and brushed his lips with hers. It only lasted for a few seconds, but, though he was aware he sounded like a cheesy romance novel, he swore he saw fireworks as their lips touched, but maybe that was the flash of the press cameras even though he knew the two of them couldn't be seen through the limo's tinted glass windows. She tasted like peppermint; Sharpay must have gotten to her with the Altoids. Not that he minded, or anything. It was everything he'd hoped for. He'd been kissed before, for movies and such, but this was so much better—this was with a girl he loved and this was _real_. His first real kiss. If it could be described in one word, it would be: bliss. He drew back and gazed at her expectantly.

"Only you," she said, smiling and interlacing her fingers with his.

"Only you," he confirmed as he opened the limo door for her. And for the first time, they faced the paparazzi and fans together, hand in hand.

…

AN: Hold on— it's not finished yet! Epilogue, anyone?


	12. Epilogue

AN: Originally, there wasn't going to be an epilogue, but I felt that it needed to have a definite ending... plus, now you guys get to see what happens to our favorite couple! And besides, I thought... well, this whole thing started with _Celebrity Insider_, so why not have it end that way, too? BTW, have any of you ever checked the prices on a Tiffany engagement ring? They are so expensive it's not even funny.

…

Epilogue: (five years later)

**Celebrity Insider Online**

Get the scoop on your favorite stars 24/7!

_Brangelina, TomKat, and… Ryelsi?_

Ryan Evans's longtime girlfriend twenty-five-year-old Juilliard grad Kelsi Nielsen was recently photographed sporting a 2-karat diamond ring from Tiffany & Co. on the fourth finger of her left hand. When asked, Ryan confirmed that they were in fact getting married. "We've been together for five years," he said at the _Off-Key_ premiere last week. "I really love her."

His seven-year reign as king of young Hollywood is still going strong, with three Oscars and a Grammy under his belt. Now it's reinforced by the buzz surrounding his engagement, not to mention the stunning box-office reception of his new movie _Off-Key_, about a prodigy pianist (Evans) who is kidnapped by an eccentric tutor (George Clooney) seeking revenge.

Kelsi, a successful composer and screenwriter, added, "We aren't thinking of a big, lavish wedding. Maybe just our families and close friends."

Sharpay Evans, Ryan's twin sister and a regular on the red carpet, said, "I'm totally excited that [Ryan's] getting married! He and Kelsi make the perfect couple. I mean, they both love music, collect hats, and they're both scared to death of me. Kidding, of course," she laughed. "But they're definitely suited for each other."

How sweet! We'll keep you updated on the news of the Evans-Nielsen wedding, rumored to be taking place in sometime next fall in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the pair met in kindergarten.

…

AN: That's all, folks! Ahem. Anyways, I do have an idea for a possible sequel (emphasis on the word _possible_: I have a vague plot in my head but might never get around to actually writing it down). But in the meantime, check out my new story _Before We Go Our Separate Ways_, the prequel to this. It's for the drabble challenge on Ryelsi Fans... I know it's a bit late to start, but whatever. Thanks for reading and please review!


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